From Compton to Consciousness: Kendrick Lamar Enters the Game

(Photo via zatoonblog.com)

When you think of West Coast hip hop, NWA and Snoop come to mind. How can we forget "Straight Outta Compton"? This song was the West's coming out party: times are tough out here and we are sick of it. Gangsta rap made it's presence felt with it's aggressive social "tell all" and the Game changed (Note: I'm not talking about the Game the rapper, but the hip hop Game to make this clear. Game the rapper thinks he's a player in the Game but he's not. He's more like a name dropping, whining water/towel boy). Dre, Snoop and Ice Cube (Sans the "Are We Wherever Yet Againing?") are synonymous with the West Coast sound, with Jay Rock coming up the ranks. But a cat from the aforementioned Compton is breaking the mold by delivering West Coast consciousness instead of aggressiveness: a potential rookie of the year in the Game, Kendrick Lamar.

Friday Flashback - Straight Out Of The 80s Edition

N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"

Ahhhh yeah!! This is one of my favorite cuts from the 80s! Such a raw track from such a synthesized decade.

This is the premier video from the N.W.A. that we all know and love; a heavily jheri curled Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren and Eazy-E. FUN PAQMAN FACT: I listened to N.W.A. as a young lad while delivering the local newspaper.

And on a much more selfish tip, the intent of this week's FF is to create a bit of foreshadowing for my Kendrick Lamar post coming at you very soon.

Enjoy the power of street knowledge!

-Paqman